Everton have signed midfielder, Hayden Hackney from Middlesbrough in a transfer worth up to £24.5m.
Hackney’s move to Merseyside came after a successful season saw him produce five goals and six assists in 41 appearances across all competitions, which eventually saw him crowned the Championship Player of the Season at the EFL Awards in April.
His performances also led to several Premier League clubs expressing their interest in signing him given that he had one year left on his contract, but Middlesbrough adopted a tough negotiation stance until Everton made an breakthrough offer above their £20m valuation.
Boro consequently accepted a £16.5m fixed transfer fee from the Toffees which could rise as high as £24.5m in total if £8m of add-on clauses are met, with Hackney having signed a five-year contract until June 2031.
In his first interview with evertontv, Hackney spoke of his happiness to make the move and play under David Moyes.
“I’m delighted to be here. As soon as I spoke to the manager, as soon as I knew Everton were interested, to be honest, it was always going to be Everton. It’s such a big club, with the new stadium and the direction it’s going in. I just wanted to be part of that.
“The manager’s track record of bringing players from the Championship to the Premier League was a massive part of my decision as well. Hopefully I can be the next one to do it successfully for Everton.
“It feels like a good fit for me, for sure. I think it’s a given that you work hard, you run, you make tackles. I’ll be doing that.”
Hackney added that fans can expect to see him contributing to both attack and defence during his time on Merseyside.
“I think fans can expect a bit of everything from me – attacking and defensively. I think I can carry the ball well, arrive late in the box, and hopefully score some goals. I think there’s plenty more to come from me. Obviously, I haven’t played in the Premier League yet, so once I get used to that I think I can kick on from there.
“It was big for me to get it done before the start of pre-season. I wanted to be here on day one and do the whole pre-season with the lads. I can’t wait for it. It helps with everything. Obviously, it’s a new set of lads who I’ll get used to and then also living down here. I’m delighted.”
The youngster also thanked Middlesbrough for their support and nurturing of his talent to a level that he feels ready to make a step up to the top flight and fight for his spot in Everton’s starting line-up.
“I feel that last season really developed me more as a player in all aspects of my game.
“Obviously, I thank Middlesbrough for the time that I was there, which was unbelievable, but now I feel ready and feel it’s time to make the change and I’m really looking forward to it.
“There are some unbelievable players here and the competition is going to be tough but I’m ready to get going and to compete.”
Moyes added: “Hayden is a promising young player who we’ve been tracking for some time, and I’m looking forward to working with him.
“We’ve had a track record over the years of identifying players in the Championship who have gone on to do really well for us and been good investments. We hope that will be the case with Hayden, too.
“He’s an England Under-21 international who will provide greater competition in midfield, which is something I wanted going into the new season.”
Hackney began his career at his hometown club, Redcar Town and soon joined Middlesbrough, where he came through their academy to make his senior debut in a 2-1 third-round defeat at Brentford in the FA Cup in January 2021 in the first of 154 appearances across which he scored 16 goals.
He also spent the first half of the 2021-22 season on loan at Scunthorpe United where he made 31 appearances in all competitions.
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